The Roles We Play
by LostAndAwaiting
Summary: Ginny's love life. From the beginning. Each chapter revolves around a different guy. Rather canon, save a few ideas of mine. Just fun fantasies of mine. Just a little ficlet. Mainly GWHP. Also GWOW, GWCD, GWTR. Her POV. Now completed.
1. Being a Weasley

The Roles We Play  
Rated:T, lang  
A/N: Don't own anything you recognize.  
This is going to be a short story involving Ginny's love life. Pairings vary each chapter. GW/HP. GW/TR. GW/CD. GW/OW.

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So, why am I telling this? Well, I fear that my story may fall short. My story is not as adventurous as the Boy-Who-Lived, but I think it is worth telling. And though it may never be a best seller at Flourish and Blotts, at least it's out there. It's off my chest.

This is a story about my flaws. About the tangles we weave.

People always see me as this wholesome girl, even at the age I am now. Everyone always remembers how I fought so bravely during the second war. Everyone remembers that I married Harry Potter. They think they know me. And I'm sure you think you know me. I know you've read about me. You read about my marriage and the birth of my children in the Daily Prophet and the Quibbler. Now, I will tell you what you don't know. About love and lies.

Before we delve into who I am, I'll start with what you know, what people think they know about me.

I am:

Ginny Weasley.

Ginevra Weasley.

Daughter of Molly and Arthur.

Sister to Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, and Ron.

Married Harry Potter.

Mother of three.

The youngest.

The only girl.

This is what most people see of me. My family life and status regarding such minimal things such as that. And sure, that has a lot to do with who I am. In fact, to understand anything about me, you have to know my family first. I embody bits and pieces from them.

So, what does the Weasley name mean? Well, my father is a pureblood. That doesn't really mean anything to me. Anyone I dated I never cared if they were pureblood, half blood, muggleborn, or Muggle themselves, although I have not been with a Muggle.

But again, that doesn't really mean anything.

I only mention that because I think that is why Tom Riddle attached himself to me in the diary. I know I've never really talked about him, because the memory is rather hard to live. But as others have affected my life, so has he—as much as I'd like to not admit it. He made me realize things about me and also what it is about me that would lead for him to act like that. And I don't mean the manipulative Tom Riddle, because we all know about that aspect about him. Hell, he was Voldemort. But what I mean is that the boy had a sensitive side and even if he was playing me, I still saw it.

It was also the ordeal in the Chamber of Secrets that led me to completely falling for Harry. So in that respect, I have to thank Riddle. Even though he nearly killed me.

Both Mum and Dad were Gryffindors. As were all my brothers. As was I. We're loyal, courageous, trusting, and somewhat ambitious (though not nearly as much as Slytherins). We have our flaws, but we're generally good people. It's situations that make or break us.

I remember when Bill and Charlie were sorted into Gryffindor. They're both older than me, but I remember the house was decorated in red and gold. I remember the twins had somehow charmed the cupcakes Mum made to gush out red and gold cream. I remember Mum chasing them about the house with a nice red stain on her apron.

Though they were young, the two of them were playing tricks with magic from the start. Much to Mum's dismay, they were never that good in school.

I think I inherited their trickery. I may not have pulled as many jokes and pranks on people, but I was sly. I learned how to sneak around without anyone knowing. Not a very good thing to do when you're supposed to be a good and faithful wife.

My intelligence is a result from Percy. The Weasley's are a smart bunch anyway, but I spent my first year stuck with my nose between books. Of course that lead to a few unfortunate events, but I gained good study habits. And Percy was always there for me. That's how I found out about him and Penelope Clearwater.

With his help, I made it through my years of Hogwarts with good grades. I do believe I would have followed in Percy's footsteps of being Head Girl if Voldemort hadn't uprooted my sixth year.

At least my last year went without anything big. I graduated and everything seemed well off. I think that is when I saw pieces of Ron's personality popping up. It was right before my marriage to Harry that I noticed it.

I was suddenly laid back. I had my fill of chaos and I found myself deeply in love and for years, I was content being like this. Everything was calm and nice and perfect. And mundane and routine and boring.

I think that's why Ron would get in those moods. I remember him ranting about Harry's name still being in the papers years after Voldemort had been vanquished. He was always seen as Harry's best mate. And he was glad that he was Harry's friend, but no one saw that he was more.

I felt the same way. I loved Harry. I still do, but it was like being a Weasley all over. I was always seen as so-and-so's sister. I made my own name as word of my Bat Bogey Hex had spread, but I didn't want to always be known as the wife of the great Harry Potter. Not that he wasn't great, but I am Ginny Potter, my own person!

I also realized that I am my mother's daughter. I gained the Weasley temper as bad as she had it, herself. I went off fairly easily. That's probably why my Bat Bogey Hex was particularly strong.

The first time word got out about it was after I had hit Cedric Diggory with it. He surely deserved it, but when questioned why he was covered in slime, he never answered. I was rather proud of that.

I haven't used that spell in awhile. I'm thinking about it now and it seems after the war, I haven't had much use for it. I'll occasionally cast it at a stray fly that won't quit bothering me, but that's about it.

I didn't even use it that much during the war. I was restricted to the Room of Requirement for most of the Last Battle. Because I was the youngest Weasley, the only daughter.

Do you know how annoying it is to hear that?

I think that is where I get my rebellion. No one can tell me what I can or cannot do. I hated being sent away when we were at Grimmauld Place. Luckily Fred and George had Extendable Ears.

I think that is why I also got bored so easily. I went through quite a few boys before Harry. I liked them for a bit and then got bored with them. I think that's why I couldn't bare to date Neville. He was too sweet and too kind. I didn't want to end up hurting him. As cliché as that sounds.

As for the other boys, I was just trying to get over Harry. We had never talked and I figured it would never happen. After all, I was his best friend's sister. So I fooled around with others. I didn't want to be alone and as I hit puberty, guys suddenly found me attractive.

Not that my relatives aren't attractive in their own ways, but I think I followed after Charlie in that we never gloated about it. And though now my infamous red hair is more of a light blonde and grey and I have lost most of my looks, I still get compliments.

I never understood how pretty I was until Harry had fallen for me. He told me how beautiful I was. Now coming from living with so many boys, I was never a real girly type of girl, but once he said it, I thought back to my years in Hogwarts. I had always been asked to go to Hogsmeade with someone or been flirting with many guys, even if they meant nothing to me.

I never really thought anything of it.

But I guess that's why Harry will always be my only love.


	2. Harry Potter

A/N: So, just letting you know that I hate H/G. The fact that I wrote this and it's like the longest chapter ever should make you all review. Next chapter is GW/TR.

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Love is a funny thing. There are so many aspects of it and it can force someone to do many things. Especially if the person is obsessed. But I think for the most part, my love for Harry had no negatives. I was just foolish, but he still loved me anyway.

It all started out with that puppy dog crush. I saw him when I was ten. I was much shyer then, only attending because I wanted to wish off my brothers. I would have never expected to see the Boy-Who-Lived that day. That was probably why I was shy. Because back then, I did not know him. I knew what everyone else knew about him. He was some sort of legend in my eyes and being in his presence was nearly awe-inspiring.

I stood there behind my mother as she told Harry how it worked. It was Ron's first time, too. Looking back, it really wasn't hard. After all, once you've stepped through a lit fireplace, doing crazy things like walking through a wall was nothing. But he was muggle raised, so walking through the wall was much odder to him. After all it was one of those muggle laws of physics. Matter or whatnot-- I never took Muggle Studies at Hogwarts, despite my father wanting me to.

But it didn't matter. As he gave my mother a confused look, it was then that I started having feelings for him. I though that despite his lanky appearance and dirty clothes that were five times too big for him, that he was genuine, honest, and cute. His hair was rather messy and it just barely covered his scar, but I saw it. I looked at him hard enough to remember every move for year. After all, I wasn't the one going to Howarts that year. I wouldn't see him for a year.

And it was a long year. I was stuck in the house with Mum. And everyone that knows my mum would know what I mean. It wasn't that she was bad mother; the opposite in fact. She was a great mother. Too great of a mother.

My only relief was the letters Ron would send back. It seemed like Ron had befriended Harry, much to Malfoy's dismay. Ron would write about the two of them and some girl. She seemed like a nice girl. Ron had once called her a 'smarmy know-it-all', but that was before the incident on Halloween. And the three had made a lifelong friendship.

It's funny to think that Ron and Hermione, the once smarmy know-it-all in his eyes, married and had children.

So the year ended with a bang. When Ron came home, he had told us all about his adventures with Harry. He told me fabulous tales about Hogwarts, but I was more interested with what he had to say about Harry. I'd bring up the boy's name at any chance, and sadly the twins noticed.

They would tease and tease me if anyone mentioned anything remotely close to Harry Potter. Which is exactly why when I saw him sitting there, mid laugh, so cute, just sitting there with my family, I froze. I really wanted that jumper, too, but I did not know how to react. I immediately turned around and ran up to my room to try and look my best for him.

Living with him that summer probably added to my crush, but I soon came to see that he had only seen me as Ron's little sister. And oh, did that aggravate me. I was no little kid and the fact that I had just become one of the Weasley boys was equally annoying, but that is something I had to deal with for years. After all, it wasn't until my fifth year that we even started dating, and I didn't even see him my sixth.

And so my first year came. I was so excited about going. Finally, I could leave the Burrow and go to Hogwarts.

However, my first year wasn't the best. Not every first year gets possessed by the evilest wizard and nearly dies because of it.

But I'll never forget waking up with a startle and Harry's hand on mine. I was shocked and confused and had no idea what was going on, but Harry was there, comforting me.

I also blamed myself for the whole ordeal, but he could sense that. As we walked back to collect Ron and Lockhart, he told me it wasn't my fault. I had dealt with a manipulative, conniving bastard. I didn't even know about it, how could I have done anything?

But he didn't know what transpired between Tom and I. He didn't know that I tried to get away from it, but I was too weak. I was worried when I heard that Harry had found the diary. Would Tom say anything? And I tried telling them that morning that I was taken, but I just couldn't get it out. Of course Percy thought that I was going to blab about Penelope Clearwater, but I just never got it out that Tom possessed me.

But I eventually got over it. I continued to fawn over Harry during my second year, but somewhere along the way, I knew he just saw me as a friend. It hurt, but I started to get over him as others took notice of me.

During the end of my second and third year, I started getting more and more attention. It first started with Neville.

Neville asked me to the Yule Ball. I'd have rather gone with Harry, but I knew that was out of the question and Neville seemed so genuine. I had a good time anyway, much better than Harry and Ron, anyway. Neville and I stayed until the very last song.

I had considered Neville for a while after. He's kind, compassionate, sweet, and just a nice guy. But he was shy. He never asked. We stayed friends long after, especially after the ordeal in the Ministry, but he was just a friend.

I think that is when guys finally noticed me, too. I started getting offers to go to Hogwarts with guys. And not just my age. I had been getting attention from older guys. It'd seemed that I had bloomed and boy, did I.

I caught Cedric looking at me in the library the end of my second year. I suppose that is when it started. And he had captivated most of my third year. Everyone always thought that he and Cho were always together. They were wrong. We had a thing for a bit.

And to tell you the truth, I couldn't stand her. She stole Cedric off of me and she tried to steal Harry the next year. Luckily, she was a sap and cried far too much. Besides, she wasn't a Gryffindor and had insulted Hermione on Valentine's Day. And it was her goofball of a friend, Marietta, that had us found out by Umbridge.

And I was the one there with Harry in the Chamber of Secrets. That is when he had finally seen what I could do with my wand. When angered or threatened, I would not cross me. Ask the Death Eaters who were hit with my Bat Bogey Hex or Reducto spell. Harry seemed quite proud. He was a good teacher and without him, I wouldn't have known how to use half of those defensive spells. But he still saw me as Ron's sister.

I had moved on anyway. I had dated a bit that year. Ron had run my ear off about it, but he still didn't get that I was my own person. I could date whom I pleased. And so I did. And I continued to during my fifth year. And he was one to talk, always off snogging or more with Lavender.

It wasn't until the end of my fifth year that Harry made a move. And it was one of the happiest days of my life, because as much as I dated, Harry would always be my first crush. But that was the thing; it seemed like so much more than just a crush. I had moved on from those little girl feelings.

And though we didn't date for very long, it had meant a lot to me. I knew he'd come back; I just had to wait. And I could. He had finally admitted his feelings to me and I knew that I was his. It was just that the whole ordeal with Voldemort. He didn't want me to get hurt because of him. He didn't realize that I was already apart of it. My family was in the Order and I was seen as a bloodtraitor, so any number of the Death Eaters will have wanted me dead anyway.

But I waited. And even though I barely saw him that summer, when he kissed me, I knew it. I knew I could wait. Everything would be over soon and in the end I would get him. I was rather persistent about it.

That's why during my sixth year I tried to help Harry from the inside. It was hard and I got into so much trouble, but it was worth it. The sooner Voldemort was defeated the sooner Harry could be back in my arms longingly kissing me in the same way he left me.

Needless to say, but when I saw him in the Room of Requirement, it was all that I had but to run up to him and hold him. That was when I knew that I did love him, I really did. I couldn't really say much to him then, but I knew that if we survived, I would. I had to.

I'm not really going to rehash the Last Battle. I'm sure you've heard all about it and probably know the details of it as well as I do. I lost a brother and dear friends. I only respect their memory by mentioning how much I miss Fred, Tonks, Professor Lupin, and even Colin Creevey.

But know that when I saw Harry's limp body in Hagrid's arms and the way Voldemort just stood there gloating, I felt as if my own life had just ended. I thought that everything was over. So when I saw Harry spring back up, it was like my own life had reawakened. I was ready to fight again.

And we know how it ended. Voldemort was defeated and Harry was back in my arms again. We had made it. It had been tough and it was long, but we had done it.

Not to say that the next few years weren't difficult. With the loss of Dumbledore and the Ministry in a whirl, the Wizarding world has to come together. I still say that I'm not the same, I can only imagine how Harry did it.

But we had each other. He went back to school, determined to become and Auror. He wanted to make sure that nothing like that would ever happen again. We saw each other all the time. We graduated together and he proposed to me on the two year anniversary of the Last Battle.

It was all so perfect. Of course it was still hard and we had to deal with a lot, but we did it. We were truly in love. Harry had no other family so it was like he latched to my family and me in particular. I was so happy to finally have him. It really did seem like everything was perfect.

We married a few months after he became an Auror. I took up a position in the Ministry. I had so many connections it seemed silly if I didn't. We had enough money between the two of us to get a nice house not far from the Burrow which made Mum happy when I became pregnant.

I ended up have three children: James, Albus, and Lily. They were the highlight of my life for so long. I loved being a mother and Harry was such a good father. I always knew he would be.

Nothing very big happened until the children went to school. For ten years, we had the perfect marriage. Everything was amazing. We were still in love. We had the house with the white picket fence. We had the children. We had the animals. We had everything we wanted.

And somehow that wasn't enough for me. I had strayed away from my husband with an attractive Quidditch player. I knew it was wrong, but Oliver was different. He was fun and crazy. And for a time, it was rather amazing.

But he wasn't Harry. And I knew I had to tell him. It was perhaps the scariest day of my life. Telling the man I loved that I had cheated on him was far worse than dueling Bellatrix Lestrange. I would take that any day.

He was more hurt than angry, as I suspected. But I begged and pleaded with him. I told him that I would never do that again. I knew it was wrong and I knew that I had screwed up the best thing I had. I put everything at risk and I knew that I needed Harry and no one else. He asked who it was. I lied. He and Oliver were friends; I couldn't do that to Harry. I lied and told him it was someone at work. And then I told him I would never cheat or lie to him again.

And it was resolved. It took awhile, but he knew that I felt so awful about it. I still do. I feel childish and almost dirty because of it. Oliver was a great person (and a great lay), but I felt like a tart because of it. That was not me and Oliver was not Harry.

He forgave me and soon it was forgotten. We grew older together. Harry still persisted on being an Auror. It was a regular argument with the two of us. Even on his 60th birthday, he told me he was going to work that day. And soon after, he was killed.

Today makes it three years since he was taken from his family and me. I feel like I belong nowhere now. I watched them role the rock in front of his grave and I cursed every Dark Wizard. He was killed during a raid. People still deny that there is evil out there, but every few years some crackpot tries to gain world dominance and it seemed like Alagory Dolohov was trying to be like the next Voldemort or something. Of course his dominance was over Harry, but the rest of the Aurors eventually took him down.

But I still lost the man I love. It still feels like there's a whole in my heart of it. It's been three years and that's why I am writing this. Sure it is a story about my escapades with the opposite gender, but this is mainly written to Harry. I will always love him. That is why this is the first chapter about guys. He was the most important person to me.

And he always will.

So, Harry, wherever you are, this is for you. I send my love.


	3. Tom Marvolo Riddle

A/N: Well, half way done. Two more chapters of this little ficlet. Hope you like. I adore Tom/ Ginny, but this story is rather canon, so it's all about the encounter in the Chamber of Secrets. But if you do like this ship, I have a GinnyTom story I'm writing called 'Roses and Venom'. Haha, I'm plugging my stories like they are my hookers. :)  
Don't mind me. Happy New Year!! Now onto the story...

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Tom Marvolo Riddle.

You may know him by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or the Dark Lord, depending on what side of the war you were on.

But I knew him as Tom.

I knew him as this coy, smart, accomplished, charming boy. He was docile and warm. He was even friendly. He talked to me. He listened to me. I daresay he was my first real friend.

Which is why this makes it so hard.

This is why I never talk about my relationship with Tom. Because he was so different than what he seemed. He betrayed and used me and it still hurts to think about. Sure, I was booty call with Ced and that hurt. Breaking up with Oliver still is a sore spot and my betrayal with Harry was a hard, but my love was far greater.

But Tom was different.

I fell for him.

He complimented me. He told me how witty and lovely I was. He wrote about my attributes like I was the first girl- No, the first woman that he had seen with them. He seemed so sweet and I fell for that charming disposition.

That's why I can see how he gained so much power. Sure, he possessed a lot, but he gained much, too. People bended to his will because they were fooled by his words when it was his actions that would strike you down. I think that is why so many were captivated, so many were fooled.

And I honestly feel bad for people like the Malfoys. Sure, Lucius was the one to give me the diary, but look how far they got. They were once the most powerful wizarding family. They still have their wealth, but the name means nothing now. It's keeping up with that idea that blood is what is most important.

I think that is how Riddle appealed so much to the Slytherins. He spit back their foolish ideals when he, himself, was a halfblood.

He once told me that he thought that it was a heroic thing that my family never cared. Perhaps he was just buttering me up, but I always wondered about that.

Tom was the heir of Slytherin, but had he really gotten that caught up with everything? Had he really become like the Gaunts. It always made me wonder. Why was blood so important?

But that is beside the point. He charmed his way into my heart. He told me what I wanted to hear and he paid attention to me. He would listen. I hadn't really made many friends. I was known as the sister to so-and-so. But he made the destinction. He knew I was Ginny Weasley because he did not know about my other brothers and their own fame.

I remember the first time I saw him. I was having a bad day and he asked if he wanted to see one of his bad days. He took me into the diary and he showed me the power he possessed.

I was captivated and in awe of him. He was young and more handsome than I had ever imagined. He was tall and thin and had beautiful, black hair. And he reminded me so much of Harry. If I couldn't have Harry, then I would have Tom.

He dreamed of his broad chest holding me and telling me everything was alright. I pictured the hands that he wrote so delicately to me stroking my cheek and pushing my long red hair aside and softly kissing me on the lips with his red lips.

The diary overtook me. It was beyond my life. I had to tell Tom everything.

And that was when I started to forget things. I would wake up with blood and feathers stuck to me. I would write to him and ask if he knew anything. He would get all concerned. He would just tell me that I stopped writing in the diary.

I was scared.

I told him about the heir and he told me to not worry. I was safe. I was pureblood.

I didn't get it until a week or two later. Harry was a parselmouth and I knew Tom liked snakes. I hadn't quite put it together, though. I repeatedly asked him questions about him.

He would start to get angry. He would threaten me. He told me that I was going crazy. He showed me how I was crazy. He would make me think I was losing my mind by simply possessing me. He threatened me. He said he would tell someone if I ever let the diary slip from my hands.

I couldn't let that happen.

But more and more people were being petrified. And I repeatedly went to Tom for his soothing words that seemed to disappear. He would toy with me. He knew what I wanted and he would only give me what I wanted if I told him that I was his. Oh, I so would have been his. And he knew. He knew my thoughts and my dreams. He would toy that once he gained power I would rule with him. He would bend my will.

But I continued to go into the diary and see him. I had to see the Tom that would tell me I was a great witch. The Tom that told me I had so much potential. Where had that Tom gone? This manipulative bastard replaced him. He knew I wanted his acknowledgement and he used that to control me.

But I held on hope.

I kept returning. I kept returning until I couldn't put up with the guilt. I had stopped eating and sleeping. My grades were suffering and the few friends I had did notice. So I tried to get rid of it.

I knew if I ruined it or if it was destroyed Tom could never hurt me again.

But it ended up in Harry's hands. What if Tom told him? What if Tom spilled the beans about my crush?

That was what I was more worried about. So, I snuck into his room when he was off at a Quidditch practice and I sacked his room, frantically searching for Tom.

I found him hidden away in the sidetable. I held the diary to my chest and I sighed as slipped back out of the room.

I immediately wrote to him.

He was angry, but at first he made it seem like he just wanted to talk to me. That he missed me. I was shocked. I wrote back and his power once again consumed me. Only I remembered him breaking my spirit. He told me that if I ever left him again he would make sure that I was crazy.

And so he became more obsessive of me. I tried and tried to get free, but I couldn't. He kept asking about Harry. He kept delving into my mind for encounters that I had with Harry. He knew every thought and every word I had said.

He chastised me for ever thinking someone with that much power would ever love me. And yet, I so desperately wanted him to. Even as I could feel my life being sucked slowly away, I wanted Tom to tell me that he loved me. But he would only scoff at the notion.

He told me he was going to kill me. He told me he was going to take me to the Chamber and there I would be left. My rotting corpse would lie there and not even the great Harry Potter could save me.

That was the day I tried to tell them. I tried to tell my brother, Ron, Hermione, and Harry that he had possessed me. I wanted to tell them that he was the Heir of Slytherin and he was using me to try and kill the muggleborns.

But stupid Percy got in the way.

That was the day I was taken into the dungeons. Tom made me use my blood to write that Ginny Weasley was taken into Chamber of Secrets. He wanted my bones to rot there. He wanted me to die alone, cold, and miserable.

Only he didn't expect Harry and my brother to be so smart. He didn't think anyone would find me. But he was wrong.

I never got to see his death, but Harry had told me how he was ripped to shreds and how he felt each plunge of the basilisk's tooth into the diary. He felt the ink spurt out.

I wonder if he looked at me at all. Harry told me he kept glancing over at me while he talked. But it wasn't like Harry knew of my feelings towards Tom and how he knew of them.

But in the end, Tom was destroyed and Harry remained. A Horcrux was destroyed and I was free.

But even at my age, I think of Tom. Especially now. I am plagued with that same loneliness that had overtaken me to write to Tom. I miss that kind Tom that would reassuringly tell me how special I am. It was this loneliness that had me running into his imitational arms.

It's not that I don't have people around me to love, but I wish I were that little girl that needed that reassuring word.

Every girl likes to be called pretty after all.


	4. Cedric Diggory

Cedric Diggory was different than most of the guys I dated. I never would have dreamed of him being attracted to me. After all, this was Cedric Diggory, a Triwizard Champion. He was Seeker for Hufflepuff and was another charmer.

I'd known of him since I was little. Sometimes he'd come over and play Quidditch with the twins. After all, he only lived over the hill and was the only Wizarding family for miles around. His father worked with mine in the Ministry.

I guess I'll start by telling you that I've always been attracted to blokes that were older and out of my league. After all, I wanted to date the evilest and most charming wizard and I married the Boy-Who-Lived. I guess I just had high standards and for some unknown reason, Ced saw something in the shy, moping redhead. After all, he was nearly four years older than I was at the time.

And still there was an attraction there that I can't really explain.

I suppose it started on the morning we left for the World Cup. I was just excited that my father had gotten tickets for the lot of us. It was a chance to be with my family and to spend time with Harry and Hermione. But when I saw him standing there with Mr. Diggory, I couldn't help darting eyes with Hermione whenever he did or said anything funny or cute.

And when he winked at us, my heart nearly melted. I wasn't even sure what they were talking about- perhaps, Ced's defeat over Harry the previous year—but it didn't matter, my heart flew into my throat and I blushed so hard, my cheek hurt.

We made it to the old, ruddy boot. Cedric's and mine hand touched briefly, but it wasn't until I fell flat on my arse moments later that real sparks had flown.

There, I lied on my back as he landed smoothly beside me.

"Need a hand?" He asked, in a smooth, coy voice. He outstretched his hand and playfully smirked at me.

I blushed, of course, and held on to his hand. He easily lifted me off the ground. I muttered an awkward thank you as I looked up into his hazel eyes. He smiled back before he ran off to talk to the twins or his father or whoever. I really didn't pay attention, as Hermione kept elbowing me in the ribs while the two of us giggled.

Merlin, was he gorgeous. He had sandy brown hair and sparkling hazel eyes. They were amazing to look at, especially when he was trying to seduce you. He had charm and a knack for getting girls to whole-heartedly melt for him. And his body was definitely something to blush over. The years of Quidditch practice had toned him into a very handsome young man.

I didn't interact with him much until about a month before the first task. I was sitting out in the courtyard when some Slytherins decided to stick their big, ugly noses into my business. I was minding my own business when a group of 5th year Slytherins came over and decided to tease me about my family. Not that I hadn't had this happen before, but the only other soul there was Cedric.

He got up and shooed them away. It was actually funny and I couldn't help laughing at his insults. He was so witty and so cute, he probably could have said anything and I still would have been laughing.

He leaned against the pillar and looked me over. "Ignore those gits, Ginny." He said, after they'd gone.

I smiled and nodded. They had teased me about my tacky, hand-me-down uniforms and frumpy red hair. It stung a little, but I was an expert at ignoring the Slytherins by the time I had hit my third year.

"They're wrong, you know. I rather like your red hair. It's cute, suits your freckles and all." He said as he took a seat next to me.

"Thanks, Cedric." I replied, abashed that the Cedric Diggory had complimented me. I thought that he probably had forgotten my name, let alone ever notice me, my freckles, or the red hair that so suited them.

I awkwardly cleared my throat and decided to change the subject. I brought up the tournament and asked him how he felt. He told me he was rather nervous and hoped he did well. He felt bad for Harry, stating that he believed it wasn't fault. Ced could be a caring soul when he wanted to.

And I fell even harder when he asked if I'd see him there the next day. I conceded and the next day could not have possibly gone any slower.

But I had come to see him for the second day in a row. He was sitting on one of the cement benches, fishing through his potions book. I took a seat next to him and smiled. He smiled back and we started to chitchat back and forth. It was rather meaningless and just to fill time.

He was coy and charming and flirted heavily with me. He acknowledged me and I found myself attracted to the same qualities that I found myself attracted to Tom. Of course I was a bit wary the first few meetings, but the difference between Tom and Cedric was that Tom was, indeed, the most evil wizard there ever was. Cedric was just a playboy.

It wasn't until about a week later that Cedric kissed me. It had gotten chillier outside and so we moved our meetings to the 4th floor courtyard balcony.

I think it was all about the situations that we had gotten ourselves into. I clung to him for security and identity and he saw me as a way out. I didn't nag him about the Triwizard Tournament. I didn't nag him about being the Golden Boy. I didn't nag him about Quidditch, his grades, or our relationship.

Sure, I had heard about him and Cho, but he never brought it up. Where they really going out? I didn't know and I didn't care. All that mattered was him pushing me against the wall and snogging me.

And was he good at it.

He was the first boy I had ever done anything with. He was soft and gentle while still attacking me with passion and pure lust. He knew what to do and how to do it. We'd have these crazy sessions where we were nearly stripped down to our undergarments.

Our fingers and hands would roam each other while our mouths panicked for the others. Our breathing was sporadic, we became frantic, and all we wanted was the other, just for those brief moments together. He saw me as attractive and though we didn't really talk much, he was polite.

Of course after the first task, I was worried about him. He talked about it briefly in an abandoned classroom one Saturday. He didn't do as well as he wanted and really wished he thought of Accioing his broom. But he told me not to worry. He had the egg and though he was still uncertain what to do with it, Ced assured me that he would be safe.

And then of course he undid my robes and we digressed to our previous engagements.

I wasn't really hurt when he didn't ask me to the Yule Ball. After all, Neville had asked me first and I sort of knew that Cedric would pick Cho. We never really talked about it, but I saw him looking at the two of us a few times that night. Especially after Cho would obsessively pick at Cedric's dress robes. I'd smile at him and nod, but he managed to escape Cho's watchful eyes just once.

I was getting a glass of punch when he suddenly appeared across from me.

"Hello, Weasley." He said, smirking and giving me a taunting glare.

"Hi, Ced." I said as I spooned out the red liquid.

"You look stunning tonight. I've seen you quite a few times on the dance floor. Perhaps you could save a dance for me. Or even better, wait for me afterwards." He said as he took the ladle from my hands, lightly brushing his palms against the top of my hands.

I looked up and smiled lightly. "Thank you. You look rather good tonight, too." I said, thinking about his offer. "I don't know, Neville's having a great time."

He nodded as he looked over my shoulder to inspect my date. He made a look, still quite unreadable to me. Ced looked back over and shrugged. "Well, they're having a party for me in the common room, but I'll be back later. This'll give you enough time to… have fun with him and then have fun with me later."

Cedric cocked his eyebrow and then headed back to Cho, two cups in his hand.

I contemplated not meeting him that night. I knew this was purely lust, what the two of us had, but I couldn't help it. For once someone wanted me.

I danced the night away with Neville. He was a really good partner and a complete gentleman. I knew he liked me, and I knew I needed something better than Cedric, but I wanted to be wanted. I wanted to be lusted after. Besides, I knew that soon enough Cho would have him. This was just a fling.

And so I met him.

Long after the guitars and drums had stopped and after I had parted ways with Neville, I met Cedric in the abandoned classroom we had been meeting in for over a month.

He was leaning against one of the student tables, his robes loosened around the collar and his hair slightly hanging over his forehead. He was smirking wickedly up at me. He said no words as I stepped up to him. He wrapped me in those strong arms and kissed me longingly. He brushed the stray red strands that had fallen loose through out the night as his tongue found mine. My hands had found the ties that he had already loosened. I quickly undid them as he found the zipper in the back of my dress. Both of our outfits soon found their way to the floor as we flooded each other's senses. I could feel him against me and though I knew I was getting too deep too fast, I couldn't stop the train from flying off its tracks, proverbially speaking.

Our hands roamed each other's naked forms as I felt him set me on the table. I knew what was going to happen at that moment. There was no turning back and I didn't want to stop. Cedric was attractive and as we held each other in our arms and as I felt him enter me, I knew it was going to end.

And though that night was fantastic and though he knew how to fulfill me and take care of me, as I became a sexual being, the downward spiral after was horrid.

Cho had become suspicious after he abruptly left and soon she kept him on a short leash. We hardly ever saw each other, save for a few glances in the halls. Finally, one snowy day after the second task, he found me sitting alone outside.

"Hey, Ginny. Do you mind if I sit down?" He said, his sullen eyes downcast.

I closed my Charms book and looked up at him. "Sure, what's wrong?" I asked, knowing he was going to bring up the night of the Yule Ball.

"Look, you're great and all, but I think we should stop…" He said blankly.

"Cho." I stated.

"Yeah, Cho…" He tapered off. "She thinks something is up and she wants to become more serious."

I simply nodded. I had figured as much. It wasn't like I saw much of him since that night.

"You okay?" He asked, lightly grazing his hand on mine.

"Yeah, Ced. I'm fine." I said as I smiled up at him.

"Friends?" He asked simply.

"Friends."

He walked away from me and though there was a small pang in my heart, I knew it was for the best. I was just tired of guys walking away from me. I still was sore from Harry sort of rejecting me and from Tom deceiving me. I felt like Cedric was just another guy to add to the list.

However, it would get much worse.

Two weeks prior to the third and final task, Cho confronted me. Following closely, Cedric was behind her.

"You lousy, boyfriend-stealing tart!" The normal docile Cho screamed at me.

"What?" I gave her an unsure glance before looking at Cedric. He merely kept his head down.

"Ced told me about yours and his escapades up in the old Ancient Runes classroom." Cho said. If looks could kill, I'd be dead where I stood.

I had no response. I didn't knw ow much she knew and I wasn't about to admit that I had stole Cedric. After all, they weren't dating then. It was she who stole him off of me.

"I can't believe you. Didn't you…" Cho stopped, flustered. "What do you have to say, you mangy tart?"

My brows furrowed and I went from looking at Cedric to looking at her. "Don't you bloody dare call me a tart! It's not my fault you couldn't secure him." I yelled back, arms crossed. My left hand touching my wand, just incase she started anything.

"And you," I motioned to Cedric. "Thanks for throwing me under the bus. Forget to mention to her that you seduced me. You came to me, remember?"

Cho narrowed her eyes and flipped her long back hair back. "That is not the point. You knew I was with him."

"Oh, no. Of course not. Don't blame him? And you were not dating. You two were merely around each other." I said quite pointedly.

Cho shook her head and drew her wand.

"Woah, hun…" Cedric said as he tried to intervene.

Too bad I had drawn my own wand and had casted the Bat Bogey Hex at the two of them. And that was when the news of the strength of my hex had leaked out.

No one quite knew why the two of them had been hit. Cho was too angry and humiliated to explain it to anyone and Cedric wanted to forget the whole situation.

As I have said, I think it was all about situations with the two of us. We needed someone that didn't care and it would be momentary lapses of reason, but at least we had those moments to unwind. Of course it got out of hand and in the end, he left and I was all by myself.

But what I find humorous in the entire thing was Cho. I had never really liked her, but her involvement in this makes me laugh. When I told Harry about the confrontation years later, he even laughed. It was so unlike Cho to act. She was miss priss. Ever so elegant and would never act out on another.

Harry once commented on the animosity between us. He always thought that it was over him, and though I was a little discouraged and angry that Cho went after Harry the next year, there was still some unresolved feelings over Cedric. Especially because of his death.

I still can't believe it happened. I still remember his unmoving body appearing with a thud as Harry appeared with him, screaming. The horror story of how that happened still haunted Harry until the day he died. It still affects me.

Sure, I was angry with him for choosing an uptight snob over me, but I never wanted him to die, especially such an undeserved, harrowing death. It hurt to attend the assembly for him the following day.

Dumbledore's words were real. He talked to us like we were adults. It was hard for him to tell us such details, but we learned about Barty Crouch Jr. and Voldemort's plot to come back to life. At the cost of Cedric.

I still am sorry he died. But I wonder how happy he would be now. Would he be sipping his afternoon tea while Cho fretted over their grandchildren as I write this? Would he be trapped in a relationship that was based on the perfect image of a couple? Or perhaps he would be happy with the girl on the side?

Either way, he will always be remembered as that coy, charming boy who had the life, the popularity, and the girl that so many envied.


	5. Oliver Wood

AN: Fifth and final chapter. Bit of an abrupt ending, but by this point, the climax is in the paralleling and needed to be wrapped up.

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Can't say that I didn't find him attractive.

Oliver Wood was everything every girl had always wanted: attractive, smart, athletic, kind, and funny. But I never really saw him like that until situations had changed.

He's was much older than me in school, and by the time I got to see him on a regular basis, he'd had a wife and a child and I had Harry and my three children. I never thought what I did was ever possible. How could I turn the back on the one I love?

Only for Oliver.

We were in the same house in Hogwarts. My brothers always had him over. He showed up for the Last Battle, but all of that aside, we never really talked until both of our children started Hogwarts. He had a daughter the same age as James and a son a year older than Lily.

We sort of had a ritual. After dropping the kids off at Platform 9 ¾, the three of us, Oliver, Harry, and I, would stop in at the Leaky Cauldron for a bite to eat and catching up.

Of course the first time there was so much to talk about. We hadn't seen him in years. Except in tabloids. He was still the Keeper for Puddlemere and had married a gorgeous French model.

He told us they met when he was touring with Puddlemere. They were at some party and there she was. He said she was like an angel. She lit up his life like something magical.

Only to dim it when she left. She met some sleazy rockstar from Germany and left him and the two kids.

That must have been during Albus' first year. We didn't see Oliver for a year or two later. It was sort of odd not having that ritual of tearfully saying goodbye to our children and then heading to the Leaky Cauldron for something to eat. It was odd not having his cheeky grin or his wild grin. I suppose I did subconsciously miss him, but I didn't want to admit that my perfect marriage wasn't perfect. After all, longing for another man would admit that I did not, in fact, have the perfect marriage that was displayed in every magical magazine in print.

But we did see him, Lily's first year. It was his son's second year, but this time, Harry couldn't make it. This was right around the time that a new breed of Death Eaters had cropped up and unfortunately, Harry tended to reprioritize his duties above his duties of maraige. Not that I minded, I was off in a delusional world of perfect marriage.

But Oliver had changed that.

After we had dropped our children off, he made our usual trek to get something to eat. We avoided the subject of his failed marriage or the fact that mine was. He reminisced about Quidditch and the twins. We talked about old rivalries like him and Flint or Harry and Draco, who was much more subdued now.

We sat there and talked. We laughed, we joked and for once it was like nothing had happened. Perhaps that was what was so alluring about me. I won't be all cliché and say, "He made me feel young again". No, it was more like he made me remember things I had stored away for so long.

And once again, charm was my weakness. And if anyone of you have seen any of his pictures on Quidditch Weekly or the like, then you know what I mean. Oliver had always possessed this finesse about him, this grace and charm. Perhaps it was something all attractive Quidditch players hold, but Oliver was just so cute. He still is, nearly forty years later.

Nothing major really happened that first meeting. We made plans to see each other again and with a kiss on the cheek, we left just friends.

It wasn't for nearly seeing him once or twice a week for nearly a month that I began to notice the touches and the embraces we both shared. I was not blameless in this, I will admit. But I was so desperate for something completely spontaneous and imperfect that I not only jumped into this, I delved headfirst.

We said our farewells with a kiss. This time it was mouth on mouth. Our hands found each other's bodies. We stood off to the side in some sleazy alley, snogging. It was like we were teenagers back in Hogwarts. The thought of it still makes me smile.

Did I feel guilty about it? At first, sure. I did and still do care about Harry. But with Oliver it was fun and secretive. I still had to return to my duties of Motherhood.

I guess I just really wanted that moment of freedom. I got to escape the façade of perfection and do something I shouldn't have. Riddle once told me that I had the makings of a Slytherin, and I think this is the period of my life where I was the slyest and most cunning. Maybe he was actually right.

We ended up sneaking about. He didn't need this in the papers and I didn't need my husband to find out. We'd usually meet at his flat when he was back in the country. I'd Floo there and then we'd have our fun. We'd laugh and flirt and end up in his bed.

What can I say? He is, indeed, the charmer.

I guess I knew all along that it would have to end. I mean I didn't love him and we led two completely different lives. We both had our own kids and drama to worry about. That and I still had Harry. And I think he was getting suspicious.

After they threw a relative of Malfoy's into Azkaban for inciting riots, Harry's job at the Ministry was much more lax. I couldn't sneak off as much and I was running out of excuses.

Talking to both men about what took place was a rollercoaster of emotions. I knew I had to break it off, but would he be able to forgive me?

"Harry, I need to talk to you…" I remember telling him as I entered the study.

"Oliver, we need to talk." I said as I appeared in his doorway.

"Something happened… and I don't know how to tell you." Merlin, this hurt worse then seeing Cedric and Cho together. Somehow, I felt like I was going to lose everything.

"Something's have changed… I don't know if I can do this." I told Oliver, feeling like I was gaining a piece of myself back.

Harry looked up at me, glancing at me bewilderedly.

Oliver simply nodded. He knew this couldn't go on.

"I… oh, Harry… I'm sorry." I teared up.

I looked down, not able to look at Oliver. I was too ashamed of what I've done.

Harry took me in his arms. I tried to fight him.

I ran into Oliver's arms; he didn't fight it.

"No, Harry, listen… I… I slept with Oliver. I've been…" I choked up, teared pouring from my eyes.

He stared blankly at me. "What do you want to do, Ginny?" Oliver asked.

Harry stared blankly at me. "What do you want me to do, Ginny?" Harry said, confusedly.

"I need to go back to my family. I love him, Oliver, but…"

"It's over, Harry. I swear. I realize what I was doing."

He turned from me. Harry couldn't look at me. I felt so dejected and yet, I deserved it. I had torn the foundation of the family we had. How could I selfishly do this? I loved, and still do, him

I kissed his cheek before I turned to go. Oliver turned back into his apartment and I sighed. I deserved this. I knew that I needed to end it. However selfish it was, I was breaking the heart of someone I loved.

I thought I had lost Harry forever when he left the room. I knew I lost Oliver forever, but the thought that everything was gone had created a huge whole in my heart. Why was I so stupid? I'll never truly know. I won't lie and say I don't regret what I did, but I know that it was wrong. I had truly hurt the one that I love in ways unmeasurable.

But he returned. Hours later, drunk as piss and eyes swollen, but there nonetheless. We cried it over. I vowed on everything that I would never do such a thing. And somehow, just looking at me, he knew. Harry knew I could never do it again. He saw how much pain I was in. He knew that I knew how much he was in. I betrayed him.

It didn't go back to perfection, but we dealt with our problems. We became closer, because of it. We realized our flaws and our marriage continued for another thirty years. And I know that when I finally see him again, he will take me in his arms and there I will be for eternity.

And so now you know. Now, you may judge me as you please, but I will still be Ginny Weasley, Ginny Potter. I will go about my day, see my grandchildren, walk with my head held high. For I will never forget who I've always truly loved.

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AN: So, that's it. Please review! I have a bunch of other stories up if you're into AU, though only one other of my stories has Ginny as a central character. Thanks a bunch for reading!

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